At A Glance: A Glance At Ruins of Silan

Editor's Note: At a Glance is a new feature at MMORPG.com that asks our writers to examine their first few hours of gameplay within an MMORPG's free trial.

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In every MMO’s life a few changes must come. This is a fact of life. The Saga of Ryzom is no different than any other MMO. One can always hope the changes are for the best, and in this case that just might be true. The Ruins of Silan is a starter area for new players to familiarise themselves with Ryzom. It is a place dedicated to the new player complete with tutorial missions and special rewards.

Missions in the Ruins of Silan are a bit different than everywhere else on Atys. The missions you’ll encounter here aren’t just for shiny rewards; they’re here to teach you how to play. Ryzom’s game system has always had a steep learning curve that could sometimes put new players off. This need not be a problem anymore with these new missions.

The missions are gathered into separate sections, one set for each skill set. Each skill set has 8 missions and is taught by one of the races; crafting by the Matis, Magic by the Zorai, Foraging by the Trykers and Melee by the Fyros teach crafting. Of course no race has any advantage over another for these skills, but according to lore these races excel at these skills. Each mission giver holds 8 tutorial missions to help you get to grasp with the game mechanic and workings of the skill. By doing these missions yo’ll learn the basics you need to know to use the skills, then give you tasks for practical application.

Also there is a set of missions from an NPC named Chiang the Strong in the centre of the island’s camp that will also help you understand a bit more of the lore.

While you’re working through these missions, you’ll help popup help windows. These windows hold specific information pertaining to the skill you’re working on the missions for at the time. This is detailed information that will help you figure out what you’re doing without any additional help.

If even with the popup window help you’re still a little stuck, all is not lost. Ryzom now has a Universe chat channel that is specifically for questions and answers. In here you can ask your question and players and the CSRs will do their best to help you out.

Once again the Ryzom community shines through in relation to the Ruins of Silan. Should you have a problem, help is only a click away. Not only is there the Universe chat channel to find help in, but there’s also the forums. There is a dedicated New Players section on the forums for you to introduce yourself and ask any question and get as little or as much help as you need. Usually the community will come through with any suggestions, ideas and help to whatever you ask; many even offering help in game should you need it. The helpful community should be a boon to any new player who needs a helping hand and wants to feel a part of the game they’ve just joined. Half of the experience of any MMO is a good community, and Ryzom has it in spades.

The revised starter island is a great improvement compared to what the game used to have. The tutorial missions are a great help to players learning how to play the game. Overall The Ruins of Silan greatly improve the game with its simple design and small environment that introduces a player slowly to the world in their own time. Silan alone is worth the time to have a look at as it is one of the better starter areas that I’ve seen in some time in an MMO.